Penance
by PrInCeSsFBi
Summary: Ty gave her a small sheepish smile in apology as he took his backpack and went into the corner without a word. Anders followed after him with a bag in one hand and the other holding the long limbed toddler against his hip.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing! **

Mike was an absolute gift from above. Valerie wasn't sure what she would do without him. Moments before he and Rob had sped away in Mike's old truck to go out and drink the night into oblivion she had felt it in her gut. The increase of anxiety, the instinct to hold on and never let go, the need to kiss passionately until they both needed air; it had all been there warning her. It was like her biggest fear had come true and the world she had known had crashed around her. Suddenly, it was like she was her mother and not a young twenty year old madly in love. She was a widower before her life as a wife had even begun. Mike had held her through her tears, had helped her with the forms, and had been there every step of the way. He had been there for her to cling to because she had felt like she had been drowning ever since she had received the phone call in the early evening, way too early for Rob to call her, regretfully, that he and Mike had gotten too pissed to drive.

She wasn't sure when it had happened, when she had started to look at Mike in the strange way that she hadn't done in her entire time of knowing him, but the light that illuminated her comatose fiancé's best friend had changed. She was seeing him differently. She niggled at the nail of her thumb with her teeth staring at Rob. She couldn't acknowledge the feelings that had started to form despite her fight against them. Not yet. Not when Mike was still gutted about what had happened to Rob. Something had changed deep inside of Mike, something dark and sharp that pierced at him every time he had to watch the nurses carry out their duties on the vegetated state of the person they both cared deeply about. What had once been a maverick of charisma and sass had turned into a serious noble penance that took up every emotion, every thought, and every action of her friend. Mike had changed.

She sighed a sort of tired sigh that made her sound old and brought a delicate hand to rub at her temple. Mike's dark brown hair hid his face as he breathed in deep steady breaths in his sleep, his head next to Rob's hand. And all that ever filled the room in those moments had been silence because who was she going to talk to? Her fiancé in the bed or her friend who was dead to the world from exhaustion? Mike need the sleep, they both did, but neither had the heart to tell the other to leave. Not when they needed each other as much as they did.

There was a bustle behind her, something that didn't sound at all like nurses, and she glanced at the door with a bristle of irritation. Barging they're way in, though she doubt they even knew the word 'quiet', were the rest of the Johnsons. Ty gave her a small sheepish smile in apology as he took his backpack and went into the corner without a word. Anders followed after him with a bag in one hand and the other holding the long limbed toddler against his hip. Valerie stood and cut him off at the door. Bending down she gave a smile at Axl who burrowed shyly into the crook of Anders's neck tightening his hold around the teen.

"Hi there, Axl," Valerie whispered. Large hazel eyes blinked up at her before a hand released Anders's neck and waved. Then as quick as it came the arm wrapped back around Anders. Anders jolted against the sudden movement with an amused sound before he smirked at Valerie and started to navigate around her. But she blocked his path, wringing her hands and trying to keep the awkwardness from showing in her smile, as Anders stared at her action strangely. Anders had every trait in a teenager that had shied Valerie away from being a secondary school teacher. He was clever with his words, sentences that leaked with sarcasm, and an ego to support the claims he made with an attitude that screamed 'I'm right and you are wrong'. Still, she tried to stand her ground.

"Anders," she said keeping her voice low and glancing back at Mike. Her face softened. "Mike needs his sleep. Do you think you can take the boys for the night?"

"I have a class I have to get too." Anders with a smirk though the mild irritation showed in his blue eyes. "And a date afterwards. So no, I can't take my kid brothers with me."

He stepped around Valerie before she could protest and she had to let out a long breath to keep her anger in check. Not in front of Axl and Ty. They had already been through too much. But she had been running low on fuel and her patience was shot to hell. Mike groaned awake, glaring up at Anders who was handing Axl over and before Mike could say a word he was surrounded by the strong hold of his little brother. Mike shot Anders a glare before he stood from his seat and snatched the bag away from Anders going over to check on Ty. And without another word Anders left the room. Valerie followed.

"You can be really selfish at times." She called after the blond. Anders stopped mid stride and turned back to her with a confused expression on his face.

"Sorry?" He asked as if he hadn't heard the reprimand in her voice the first time.

"Mike is going through a rough time. He and Rob… they were close. And you dumping things on him isn't going to help. He needs you now more than ever… the least you can do is sacrifice a date or two and watch after your brothers." Anders tilted his head at her with an expression that she couldn't read and for a moment he didn't say a thing. Then with the confidence a thirty year old possessed, not some teenager who was small for his age, he closed the couple feet between them and stopped in front of her, smirk still in tact.

"Our mother died six months ago." He said in a low tone that was light but hinted the dangerous ground she now stood on between a calm Anders and an angry one. "Where was he then? Oh yeah. With you and your comatose boyfriend. Except the company was a bit livelier then."

She smacked him and the sound her hand made when it came in contact with his cheek was loud enough to attract attention from the doctor and nurse down the hall. Anders didn't say anything; stunned in the position his head fell. Licking his lips he swiveled his head back up at her, smirk gone and eyes narrowed.

"You remind Mike that he has a family of his own to look after, brothers who don't understand why their older brother they hardly see would rather be with some chick instead of them, and then you can talk to me about selfishness." And without another word he stalked away.

She snapped, too exhausted and emotional to handle the accusation that had reeked in Anders words, and leaned against the wall for support when she felt a sob build up in her chest. Family. Something she and Rob had always dreamed about and something Mike was going to lose if he stayed with her and Rob. But she wasn't sure she could quit him. She had already lost Rob! She couldn't lose Mike too. She couldn't let Rob go yet Mike was the only thing in her life that made sense.

Anders was right about one thing. They had been in grief too long. It was time to heal. It was time to start new. And if for just a moment she allowed herself to admit to the love that was forming within her for Mike then she might have the chance to move on. Those two boys needed her and Mike just as much as she and Mike needed each other.

Not once did she think about Anders. He could think about himself if that's what he wanted. She and Mike would care about the others, starting with the motherless children sitting in a hospital room.

**A/n: Feed the muse! Feed it! Odin commands you! **


End file.
